We get a lot of questions about the accidental death benefit and how it works in terms of life insurance. An accidental death benefit is generally something that pays out, or a type of insurance that pays out, if the person dies in an accident. Now, keep in mind that probably less than 2 per cent of all life insurance claims are related to an accident. A lot of people think it’s a higher figure, but most of the life insurance claims are going to be caused by some type of illness—cancer, ...

LSM Insurance Independent Broker, Beirong Xiong has learned to take the good with the bad when life’s surprises come knocking at her door. After finishing her Master’s in Agricultural Economics and Business at the University of Guelph, Beirong moved to Ottawa (Ontario) to pursue a career in financial services. It was on a daily elevator ride that she met her future husband for the first time. “Something as random as that changed my life for the better,” she says. “Six years later David ...

I’m going to talk a little bit about an irrevocable beneficiary and how it works in terms of a life insurance policy. Irrevocable beneficiaries are unique in that the policy owner needs the consent of the beneficiary to change that beneficiary. Irrevocable beneficiary designations are often set up as part of a marital breakup. The ex-spouses want to know, as part of the settlement, that the policy owner is going to keep that ex-spouse on as a beneficiary, and that they can’t change that ...

We received a question asking what the grace period on a life insurance policy is. Generally, the grace period applies if you miss a payment and you want to make sure the policy doesn’t lapse. That’s where the grace period kicks in. If you had an annual premium on a policy—let’s say it was $700 a year, or whatever the annual premium was—and the payment wasn’t sent in, the insurance company will generally give a 31-day grace period. That could be different, so you always want to make sure ...

I’m going to talk a little bit today about smoking versus non-smoking in terms of your life insurance. Smoking can have a really big impact in terms of your life insurance premiums. Some companies on a term insurance policy will charge up to three times as much for a smoker versus what they charge for a non-smoker. It’s something you’re really going to want to understand. You are going to want to understand the definition within the different life insurance companies. Most companies ...

 I’m going to talk a little bit today about a question I got on how you can use a whole life insurance policy to help with your retirement. A whole life policy generally allows you to build a cash value in addition to the insurance. This cash value is growing in a tax shelter basis, so some people will use that cash value to supplement their retirement income. That person will want to make sure they are taking advantage of things like RRSPs and tax-free savings accounts, if it fits ...

The world today is not the same as it was 30 years ago. That is why some of the questions insurance clients are asking deal with the realities of this complicated world. One of these questions relates to life insurance and terrorism, and how insurance companies treat these cases. In fact, there are several scenarios, and it is important to understand all of them. Also, it is important to understand that, while some companies deal with this topic differently than others, the key principles ...

I’m going to talk a little bit now about revocable versus irrevocable beneficiaries. Most life insurance policies have a revocable beneficiary, meaning you can change the beneficiary. You choose who you want to be your beneficiary: if you have a spouse as your beneficiary and you want to change that down the road, you can change that; if you have a child as a beneficiary and you want to change that, you have that same option; or a business partner, whatever the case may be. Now, an ...

I’m going to look at how mortgage life insurance compares with regular life insurance. Mortgage life insurance is generally offered through a bank or a lending institution, and essentially, it is tied to your mortgage. One of the advantages of an individual life insurance policy is that it’s not tied to your mortgage. The coverage is portable; you can take it with you if you sell your home, and you choose your own beneficiary. You essentially own the coverage, and you can even have some ...

I’m going to talk a little bit about health insurance, how to get it, and if it makes sense. In general, health insurance will cover you if you are looking at covering things like prescription drugs, dental expenses, and those types of things. The cost can really depend on the person’s age, gender, and the amount of coverage that they need to be covered for. You are going to want to look at certain things, like if you have a group insurance plan now, you might be covered for a lot of ...